John a



(,No Model.) 7

' J. A. MBTGALP. STREET LETTER BOX.

No. 527,614. Patented Oct. 16, 1894.

i RWHHHEEHII r EMMA LIFO? the street corners, or otherwise. These boxes,

' frnr ns Futon,

JOHN A. METCALF, OFGHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASS IGNOR, OF ONE-HALF TO HARRY A. PERRY ,OF vSAME PLACE.

STREET LETTERI-PBOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 527,614, dated October 16, 1894.

Appl a i fi January 8, 1894. Serial No. 196,095 (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: 4 J

Be it known that-L-JOHN A.,METOALF, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, Cook county, State of Illinois, have in- 5 vented certain new and useful Improvementsin Street Letter-Boxes, of which the following is a specification. l I

My invention relates to street letter and newspaper boxes and it has for its object to provide a simple, cheap and effective box, whichis adapted to receive newspapers, packages and other large mailable bundles, aswell as letters and the usual small mailable articles; and to these ends my invention consists in a box embodying the general features of construction, substantially as more particularly hereinafter pointed out. Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1, is a perspective view of a box embodying my invention, showing the cover raised. Fig. 2, is a front view, a portion being cut away, showing the tray, and Fig. 3, is a vertical section through the box, showing the construction of the internal parts.

Heretofore many devices have been suggested for use as street letter boxes and such boxes for the reception of letters and other small mailable articles are in common use, they being constructed so as to be attached to lamp posts or other convenient positions at however, as usually provided are comparatively small and are adapted only for the 1dception of the smaller classes of mailable articles, and it has been found impracticableto make .them so that they are adapted to receive the larger class of mailable articles.- It, has been proposed to provide means for the' reception of these larger articles in the way of a hood attached to the box, or in the way of a large box, which has sometimes beenused, but which was not Well adapted to receive and protect the mail matter deposited therein.

. It is the object of my present invention to provide a box which is capable of receiving all kinds ofmailable matter and which will protect the same from the elements, as from dampnessgdnst and the like, and which shall also prevent theabstraction of the mail matter 0 once deposited therein, exceptby the authorized oifi ciai. Atf the same time it is th e ob- I-in bearings c, in

ject of my invention to provide a box which can be cheaply made so that it will be strong and capable of withstanding exposure to the elements and to the ordinary usage, and which shall not be liable to get out of order, and with these general statements, I will now proceed to describe the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The box consists of a body portion A, which is shown as being rectangular in shape, preferably a little longer than it is wide, although ,the exact shape is not an essence of the invention, and this body is preferably made of iron, either cast or wrought, so that it shall be strong and at the same time as light as possible. I

The top of the box is preferably curved, although of course it may be otherwise configured, and I have shown the rear portion A, as extending upward, forming a partial cover A to the box, the sides A ,being of a curvature to conform to this construction. Oonnected to the curved portion A and preferably forming a part thereof, is a hood l3, and this is also curved and is provided with the end pieces B, yond the sides A and the whole forms a sort of receptacle b, on top of the box. The front edge ofthis hood is preferably turned over or provided with a ridge or flange b, which aids in preventing moisture or other extraneous articles getting into the box in the manner heretofore described. v

The box may be made up of as many separate pieces as desired, especially when made of cast metal, and the said pieces may be also united or secured together in any ordinary or ,w'ell'known manner.

Connected to the top of the box is a lid 0, and this lid is curved to copform to the open space in the .top of the box, and is provided with flanges O, at itsedge, adapted to fit down over the outside of the body of the box-When the lid is closed, and its front or lower edge 0 is turned outward to form a lip .to aid in suitable wayand I'havesho'wn it asmounted.

the end pieces Bfiof the h00d,-there being pintles or projections x which project slightly bea eat ,et-et tending from the downward turned flange of the lid or a rod running through the hood and extraneous matter,

, ing it for depositing the mail matter. Be-

heath the lid there is opening I), through able articles may be deposited and thisis covered and protected by a hinged guardor cover D, which is also preferably provided with a projection or lip d, by which it may he readily raised.

It is preferable to separatelhesmaller an ticles from the larger mailable articles, and for this purpose I provide the box with a pan titicn E, which may be arranged in any suitable relation to form two compartments, one in front and one in rear thereof, and it will be seen that the opening D, communicates with the front compartment, While the larger mailable articles are deposited in the rear compartment in the manner hereinafter tie scribed.

i The box is provided with a suitable door F, which can be locked and under the control of the proper official, and this door is shown as provided with lugs F, by means of which it is hinged to the box, and it is also provided with side or quadrant flanges F which enter the box and protect the mail matter while it is being collected and prevent its dropping" at the ends of the lid. A lip i is arranged above the door F, to prevent the entrance of moisture, oc. The inner partition E, when used is also provided with a door E,'el1itably hinged at the bottom of the box and provided with a catch or loci: E of any desired construction, which will serve to hold the door in place, except when operated by the authorized mail collector.

In order to receive the larger mailablean ticles and properly deliver them into the re ceptacle therefor, and at the same-time pro vent the entrance of extraneous matter or the unauthorized abstraction of rnailable matter, I provide what I have termed a balance tray. This tray comprises a platform or shelf G, on which the mailahle matter is deposited when the lid 0, is opened and it is further provided with one or more plates G, the latter of which is shown as preferably arranged at right angles to the platform G, and there is also an extension of the platform G, radially opposite the tray, as shown at G Connected to the platform and to the extension is a curved portion (i and this is weighted as at G so that the whole tray will occupy the position indicated in full lines, Fig. 3. This tray is preferably made in a single piece, although of coarse it may he lid is raised orlowered; Thepreferably arranged an which the smaller mailunlawful abstraction of articles which made of separate pieces suitably joined to gather and it is preferably mounted in bearings g, in the sides of the box and these hear ings are coveredor protected by inclined. projections g, which will prevent the elements interfering with its operation, and one end of the bearing is preferablysqnared .or otherwise formed to receive the handle H, by means of which the tray may beoperated or turned to deliver the deposited articles into the receptacle. Suitable stops are provided to limit the movement of the tray and l have shown as arranged in the rear portion of the be): at the end of the tray a stop I, against which the projecting end of the extension G of the tray normally rests, it being holdin position by the weight and in this position the platform G, will be opposite the opening covered by the lid (3; There is also another;

stop I", on the front side of the box against which the extension G will impinge and prevent the further rotation of the tray when the articles are being: deposited in the box. The said tray is of dimensions suflicient that when in its normal position, it will completely close the openings of t e separate-compartments of the box. it may be Weighted at the' bottom in any suitable manner, as for instance by a body of lead suitably soldered thereto, or if desired it might instead be made of two separate pieces, having the intermediate space filled with any suitable material to give additional Weight thereto.

Such being the preferred construction of the box, its operation will be obvious to those skilled in the art and it will be seen that when lettersor other small articles are to be deposited, the cover 1')", is raised and they are dropped directly into the proper receptacle through the opening" I); When, however, it is desired to depositiarger" articles ICC the lid 0, is raised and the articles placed upon the platform G, and then by turning the handle H, the tray is rotated. to the position indicated by dotted lines and the articles deposited in the proper receptacle below, when on releasing the handle the tray will automatically resume its normal posi-.

tion, the Weight G", and the handle itself contributing to this result. It will be seen that the stop I, prevents the turning of'the tray beyond the proper distance while the step i, serves as an. abutment to hold the tray normal. position.

it will be observed. that the construction is exceedingly simple and that the box can be made at a low cost and at the same time it prevents injury or damage to the mail matter from the elements, it being closed against rain, dust and the like and at the same time the parts are so arranged as to prevent the have once been-deposited therein.

*What I claim iii-- l. in a letter box, the combination Withthe casing having an opening provided with a hin lid, or." Weighted tray normally in an and adapted to close the opening when turned to deposit the mail, -said traybeing semi-=- open position with respectto such opening,

cylindric inf form andweighte'd atthe bottom and also provided-with a platform entirely closing the compartmentsof the casing, and

by means of stops, a "vertical extensiom of said platform joined thereto about centrally .and oflsuch length asto permit dumping of the tray, thesaid tray being normally in an open position withres'pect-to the opening at I the top of the box, "and adapted when turned,

to have its bottombrought beforesaid opening,-substantially as shownfand for the purpose described:

3. in a letter-box, the combination with a casing or body provided with an opening at the top thereof which is closed by a suitable lid, a weighted tray normally closing the mail compartments of the box, the same being also ,provided with a platform extending through the box at the top as well as with a vertical extension joined to the platform about centrally thereof,the construction of the tray being suchthat'when the tray is dumped the opening at the top of the box will be completely closed, while normally the receive themail when theclosing lid is raised or elevated, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. xL

v JOHN A. DMETOIALFI. Witnessess:

( FREDERICK S. KAMMERER, FRANK IrRREEMAN'.

35. position of the tray is such as to beopen to 

